Foundation staff should show ‘upward empathy’ towards their board. And they should not expect boards to acquire programme expertise.

In my last contribution to Alliance, I delved into the cognitive dissonance between foundation teams and their boards. One recurring response was the claim that we – foundation staff – need to ‘educate our boards’.

My personal stance – something which has not earned me popularity within the foundation community – is that educating our boards is not just unnecessary; it’s something we must avoid.

The primary role of a board is to ensure that every action taken by the foundation aligns with its charter and the law. Deep expertise in the programmatic areas of a foundation does not fall within this remit. Education of the board by the team, in this context, is therefore not a requisite. On the contrary, I believe that board thinking must, to a large extent, remain independent of the team for them to effectively fulfil their responsibilities.

We must face the reality: often foundation staff, even at senior levels, are unfamiliar with their foundation’s charter and original mission—the guiding document for all of a foundation’s work and the delineation of the board’s duties.

This extends to the laws governing a foundation’s activities, where trustees are held accountable for any wrongdoing, which the foundation’s staff, in most jurisdictions, are not.

This is why, at the Jacobs Foundation, we emphasise ‘upward empathy’ within our team. Just as we expect our grantees to implement social-emotional learning principles, we recognise the importance of applying the same principles to ourselves. The ability to understand others’ actions and motivations is a crucial life skill that should be exercised reciprocally.

When faced with a board’s challenges or rejections, emotional reactions such as blaming them and questioning their competence are counterproductive. Instead, a more constructive approach involves self-reflection on whether sufficient empathy has been extended toward the board.

The CEO holds the responsibility of addressing key questions in every board presentation: does the presented project align with both the foundation’s mission and all relevant legal requirements? Are the long-term commitments and follow-up costs clearly articulated? Is there honesty about the risks associated with the proposed project? If the CEO can’t answer any of these questions affirmatively by the CEO, the board likely won’t either—nor should they.

So, what can be done?

• Thorough Preparation: Dedicate ample time to prepare, discuss and refine proposals to the board. Avoid the misconception that boards will approve underdeveloped concepts due to time constraints—they won’t.
• Risk Transparency: Be transparent about the risks and downsides of a proposal. Include comprehensive plans and strategies for managing and mitigating these risks. Boards excel at risk analysis, a fundamental aspect of their role.
• Board Exposure for Senior Team Members: Ensure senior team members gain first-hand board experience by participating in roles within local organisations or grantee boards. Advocate for a broader distribution beyond CEOs of programme-related board roles throughout the foundation team.
• Internal Communication: Foster open communication between teams and boards, for example, through Q&A sessions. Most trustees join foundations to advance their mission, not to hinder it. Recognise that many could pursue more lucrative opportunities elsewhere.
• Careful Definition of Board Remit and Threshold: Basically, you can also ask yourself whether a Board needs to be involved in funding decisions at all. At the Jacobs Foundation, this is only the case for projects with a volume of over CHF 1 million. However, such an approach can only work if there is structured, complete, and timely reporting to the Board of Trustees.

We should refrain from educating our boards because their primary role is to ensure that the foundation aligns with its charter and the law and must maintain independent thinking to fulfil their responsibilities.

That doesn’t mean we cannot learn together.  By fostering a culture of upward empathy and implementing these strategies, foundation staff can cultivate a more collaborative relationship with their boards, ultimately facilitating joint learning and more effective and mission-aligned decision-making.

Simon Sommer is the Co-CEO at Jacobs Foundation.

Email simon.sommer@jacobsfoundation.org